Position Summary:
Alkermes has an exciting new leadership opportunity inside our Research Organization to head the Neurobiology Group to progress projects for our selected neurological disease areas. The desired candidate will be a recognized expert in the field of Neurobiology which will include a deep working knowledge of neurocircuitry to enable our research strategy. Beyond a thorough understanding of Neurobiology, the candidate will also be well-experienced in drug discovery fundamentals by possessing a successful record of progressing projects from inception to clinical candidate nomination. Additionally, the candidate must have direct experience in working with both internal and external partners (e.g. academic labs, CROs, business partners from the biopharmaceutical industry). Exceptional cross-functional leadership and communication skills as well as experience in leading drug discovery teams are necessary competencies. Most importantly, the candidate must possess exceptional leadership attributes for building a positive culture and developing people.
Responsibilities
- Accountable for the scientific and managerial leadership of the Neurobiology Group to cultivate an environment that promotes collaboration, teamwork and innovative science.
- Responsible for generating and implementing a robust neuroscience strategy that is aligned with the overall Alkermes’ strategy for the chosen disease areas.
- Actively participate on the Research Leadership Team by contributing to the overall strategic direction of the Research Group.
- Aggressively support projects, project teams and project leaders utilizing contemporary methods in neuroscience.
- Ensure preclinical support for ongoing development programs in neuroscience e.g. indication expansion and translational studies.
- Responsible for the exploration of new target ideation and novel biology to support internal drug discovery efforts.
- Accountable for managing all aspects of the output from the Neurobiology Group including the overall scientific quality.
- Ensure all data generated by the team is reviewed and reported in appropriate format to enable ease of storage in appropriate databases.
- Prepare technical reports to support program reviews, publications and IND submissions.
- Collaborate with cross-functional leaders, including but not limited to pharmacology, chemistry, molecular modeling and DMPK to continuously align on project priorities, objectives, and outcomes.
- Specifically foster a close collaboration with pharmacology to ensure that chosen assays are closely linked to biological relevance.
- Identify, initiate, and manage productive collaborations with CROs and academic labs.
- Generate the appropriate strategy in building and managing internal and external capabilities.
- Drive progress and implement improvements in neuroscience for the progression of projects from inception to candidate drug delivery.
- Ensure robust and appropriate neuroscience models for in vitro and in vivo experimentation.
- Participate as a member in the neuroscience business development triage team.
- Responsible for ensuring compliance with company established practices and procedures, including laboratory notebooks (ELN), digital data, quality and regulatory guidelines and safety standards.
- Ensure robust people management by motivating and developing the Neurobiology Group. Foster diversity and inclusion throughout the group.
Qualifications
- Ph.D. in neuroscience with 15 to 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry with roles of increasing responsibility including people leadership in driving in vitro and in vivo science across all stages of drug discovery and development.
- Significant experience is required in a drug discovery environment, including key membership in discovery projects with a proven track record of innovation and delivery of candidate drugs.
- Ability to keep up to date with current developments in the neuroscience field and implement new practices and technologies that keep the team at the forefront of science in the industry.
- Comprehensive understanding of drug discovery disciplines outside own core expertise.
- Participated in the performance management of scientific staff.
- Track record of authorship on peer reviewed scientific publications.
- Experience presenting at professional conferences.
- Demonstrated ability to work seamlessly in a cross-functional matrixed environment. Adaptability and the ability to communicate and influence decision-making in a diplomatic manner.
- Ability to independently define key scientific questions and design rigorous experiments in collaboration with internal and external partners to answer these questions.
- Track record in external collaborations with academia, CROs and strategic partners.
- Direct experience in supporting IND strategy and documentation, including writing relevant pharmacology sections of INDs.
- Strong history of recruiting, managing, developing and retaining top-tier talent, including but not limited to PhD level scientists.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including strong formal presentation skills and the ability to communicate complex scientific information in an understandable manner.
- Ability to lead with an enterprise mindset, putting the needs of Alkermes and the patients we serve above his/her /their own.
- Excited to work in an environment focused on Alkermes’ culture of Great Science, Deep Compassion and Real Impact.
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About Us
Why join Team Alkermes?
Alkermes applies its deep neuroscience expertise to develop medicines designed to help people living with complex and difficult-to-treat psychiatric and neurological disorders. A fully-integrated, global biopharmaceutical company, headquartered in Ireland with U.S. locations in Massachusetts and Ohio, we are committed to pursuing great science, driven by deep compassion to make a real impact in the lives of patients. Alkermes has a portfolio of proprietary commercial products for the treatment of alcohol dependence, opioid dependence, schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder, and a pipeline of clinical and preclinical candidates in development for various neurological disorders, including narcolepsy.
Beyond our important mission of developing medicines to address unmet patient needs, we actively seek to foster a culture of diversity, inclusion and belonging throughout our business. We strive to ensure that all voices are respected and valued, recognizing that our diversity of thought, background and perspective makes us stronger. We are proud to have been recognized as an employer of choice by many national organizations, including being certified as a Great Place to Work in the U.S. in 2024, honored as a Healthiest Employer in both Ohio and Massachusetts in 2023, a Best Place for Working Parents in 2023, and to have received the Bell Seal at the Platinum level for Workplace Mental Health by Mental Health America for three consecutive years (2021-2023).
Alkermes, Inc. is an equal employment opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any qualified applicant or employee because of race, creed, color, age, national origin, ancestry, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression and identity, disability, genetic information, veteran status, military status, application for military service or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal law. Alkermes also complies with all work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act and IRCA. Alkermes is an E-Verify employer.